


See You on the Flip Side

by AraniWrites



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 11:19:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10216826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AraniWrites/pseuds/AraniWrites
Summary: Kallo Jath met her, and he never forgot about her.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note that this is my personal Ryder OC and it does not line up fully with what is "canon".

He met her long before they reached Andromeda.

Kallo was working hard on the Tempest, building it up, making it perfect. She arrived one day fresh off recruitment; the daughter of the famed Alec Ryder. She would help in the Tempest’s construction; he never knew how that moment would change his life.

Sara was a genius. Bright and cheerful, energetic and logical. She loved dancing and bright colors, and he’d often caught her humming to herself and dancing in place when she thought no one was watching her. She was young by human standards; he was young by Galactic standards. She could write codes and hack codes faster than anyone he’d ever known, confident in her abilities and even more confident in his. She brought unique ideas into the Tempest’s construction. The two got on well, fast friends in a fast-paced world. Neither were jokers, but her sarcastic edge was nothing to sneeze at. They spent many sleepless nights working on the Tempest, talking about anything and everything, getting to know one another in a way that felt so natural. Two logical minds building a ship fit for a Pathfinder.

Sara taught him quick methods of coding. He taught her the basics of flying; “Just in case”. They whooped and hollered together as they finally got to take the Tempest out for a real test, two kindred spirits who raced through space and nearly crashed into the Moon in the process. Kallo would freely say, he had never had a friend like her.

They said their goodbye’s when it was finally time to launch the Initiative. “See you on the flip side!” She told him; it was a human phrase, one she repeated often, one he knew well because of her. He fell asleep knowing that when he woke up, hers would be one of the faces he’d wait for.

—

Andromeda was not what they expected.

Sara was Pathfinder, who would have thought? Kallo did everything he could to be supportive and attentive, a friendly face in a hostile world. Kallo noticed the dark circles under her eyes, the sleepless nights spent studying this Galaxy she was so harshly thrust into. He tried to calm her fears when it was just them, a confidant, as she was for him in return. Just being near her, he felt so warm.

It was in Andromeda that she finally told him her biggest secret; “I’m dying”. Sara didn’t have much time left. And she’d never brought it up before, thinking that perhaps he’d think her weak. After all, Salarians have short lifespans of their own. But Kallo related to her, to the need to contribute something in the short time given to them. To live life fully in a world surrounded by those who would live lives infinitely longer than their own.

Not long after, he caught himself staring at her and wondered if she was worried that she was wasting time. Funnily enough, he never needed to ask.

After a particularly dicy escape from a hostile encounter, Sara ran to the bridge, right to him; still in her armor, bruised and exhausted, but giddy all the same. “That was amazing!” She told him, complimented his flying, told him that she was inspired by him. She ran off just as quickly and he was left a blushing mess; she never noticed.

She was beautiful. He asked himself if he wanted her to notice.

—

Kallo had to watch out the window as Sara, Drack and Liam raced toward the Tempest, flanked by more Kett than he could count. He was ready to lift off, but he watched as Sara got shot. As she fell, clutching her leg with a scream he could hear over the coms, one that would haunt his nights for months, maybe years. Drack ran back for her, picked her up and hauled ass back to the Tempest.

Kallo felt as if his beating heart was being ripped from his chest, but he still had to fly them out. He did his best to concentrate, navigating the enemy like a pro and vanishing from their sights in the darkness of space. When they made it to Safe Space, Suvi told him to go down to the med bay, to check on her. Kallo didn’t hesitate.

She was grinning when he got there. She was laid out on a bed in the med bay, while Drack and Liam were sitting nearby. She laughed with them about the mission, how pissed off they’d made the Kett. Kallo saw what Drack and Liam could not; she was scared, hiding behind laughter to try and calm herself. At least, he thought, she was alive.

Liam and Drack left after getting treatment; they had gotten off easy. Sara’s leg was in bad shape but Dr. Lexi had little trouble stopping the bleeding. Eventually she left too, smiling at Kallo knowingly, giving them space. He sat at the edge of Sara’s bed and held her hand; she was shaken but alive. Alive. He caught himself blushing again and this time she noticed, because she was blushing too. And it was in that moment that Kallo decided, life was too damn short to not take that leap.

—

As it turned out, Liam was the best Wingman he could have asked for.

He kept telling Kallo, “She likes you! Just go for it!” But he apparently thought that the two weren’t going any further (even though they were, more and more late nights were being spent in close proximity to one another, and the crew apparently didn’t notice).

The entire crew was keenly aware of the growing affection between the two, and collectively decided that action was needed to move things along. So Liam tricked both into meeting on the Nexus, “That little shit really fooled us,” she laughed.

The two got the ultimate payback when Sara hacked her own codes in the Tempest. The two proceeded to set off every alarm, sprinkler system, and every other annoyance they could think of, which was plentiful on a ship they both knew inside and out. Sara laughed, “They’re soaked and we can go get some food. Best date ever!” Kallo stopped short and considered that; the entire time he’d never even thought of it as a first date. It just felt right, felt natural to be at her side. As she smiled at him he thought that perhaps that was how it was supposed to feel.

They returned to a very wet Tempest and a crew who had already accepted their lot on the cleaning crew, practically begging them to find some way to turn off the fire alarm.

—

Their relationship had never been a secret. They didn’t flaunt it, they weren’t loud or obnoxious about it. It wasn’t stolen kisses on the bridge or sneaking into her room at night. They were open about it; it was holding hands in the lounge, long talks on the bridge, an occasional check-in over coms.

They spent many nights in Sara’s room and simply relaxed in each other’s arms, falling asleep in blissful calm. Kallo only slept an hour, as all Salarians, but he pretended to sleep more. He took the time to stay there, her wrapped in his arms with a peaceful smile across her face, knowing that he was the only one in any Universe that got to see it.

Peebee called them “disgustingly cute”. Vetra smiled and made sure Sara always felt respected. Liam was very proud of himself and tried to give explanations to Jaal, which Sara quickly shut down. A little family in a vast Universe who became content with one another. Kallo knew this was how it was supposed to feel; natural.

—

They told him to retreat.

But how could he? She was out there, lost and possibly hurt. There were a lot of Kett between him and where they lost her signal, but what did that matter?

“I love you.” She had whispered to him before she left, “See you on the flip side.” And he hadn’t had the chance to say it back, to tell it to her straight. He needed to find her. He needed to tell her.

The crew rang out a unanimous agreement; whatever the cost, they were going to find their Pathfinder. They bucked authority, and Kallo flew the Tempest directly into the eye of the storm, right to ground zero, without a lick of hesitation.

He loved her. Like hell he was going to lose her. Not like this.


End file.
